The present invention is directed to a sliding reusable connector that may be used to attach gear to a base unit.
GI Alice Keep Clips/Belt Slides (“Alice clips”) have traditionally been used to attach gear to belts, vests, packs, or other “base unit.” In most situations, the base unit is wearable and/or portable. Exemplary types of gear that has been attached include military gear (e.g. gun holsters or knife sheaths), survival gear (e.g. first aid kits, compasses, or canteens), hunting gear, fishing gear, camping gear, miscellaneous gear pouches, or other gear that one might want to attach to a base unit. To work with an Alice clip a base unit or gear would only need a loop, hook, strap, or other gear and/or base unit attachment mechanism through which the Alice clip may be inserted or fastened around. In some cases, the gear and/or base unit attachment mechanism may be the base unit itself. For example, a belt may be sufficiently narrow that the Alice clip may fasten around the belt without any additional structure needed.
As shown in FIG. 1, a traditional Alice clip 18 is made from three metal pieces: a U-shaped body leaf spring (“body”) 20, a sleeve 22, and a back gate 24. The U-shaped body leaf spring 20 has two body legs 26, 28 separated by a spring bend 30. One body leg 26 is generally shorter than the other body leg 28. The shorter body leg 26 has a longitudinal depression groove 32 near its end 34 distant from the spring bend 30. The longer body leg 28 has at least one fastening bend 36 substantially at its end 38 distant from the spring bend 30. The fastening bend 36 has a fastening aperture 40 therein. In the resting position, the body legs 26, 28 are in a wide open position. When the clip 18 is fastened, the body legs 26, 28 are held together and there is tension therebetween. When the clip 18 is opened, the release of tension causes the body legs 26, 28 to spring apart, often to painful consequences. A sleeve 22 is generally wrapped around at least a portion of the longitudinal depression groove 32 of the shorter body leg 26. The back gate 24 has a handle end 42 and a fastening tongue end 44. Projecting perpendicular from the back gate 24 is limiting nub 46 between the handle end 42 and the fastening tongue end 44. When in position, the limiting nub 46 is positioned within the longitudinal depression groove 32 of the shorter body leg 26 and the sleeve 22 is generally wrapped around the combination. The back gate 24 slides from an open position to a closed position through the sleeve 22, the limiting nub 46 limiting how far forward or backward the back gate 24 can slide. By simultaneously squeezing the body legs 26, 28 together and sliding the back gate 24 forward, the tongue end 44 of the back gate 24 may be inserted into the fastening aperture 40 in the fastening bend 36 of the longer body leg 28. This locks or fastens the clip 18. By pulling the handle end 42 of the back gate 24, the tongue end 44 is pulled out of the fastening aperture 40 and the clip 18 springs open.
It should be noted that in an alternate embodiment (which is often just a new clip that has not been “broken in”) of the traditional Alice clip 18 the sleeve 22 is tightly wrapped around the combination the limiting nub 46 of the back gate 24 and the longitudinal depression groove 32 of the shorter body leg 26. In this case, the spring bend 30 between the two body legs 26, 28 would be less “springy.” In this embodiment, the tongue end 44 would stay in the fastening aperture 40 because friction would prevent the back gate 24 from slipping backward through the sleeve 22.
Gear is attached to a base unit in three steps using a traditional Alice clip: an opening step, a positioning step, and a closing step. In the opening step, the back gate of the Alice clip is slid so that the Alice clip is in the open position. In one type of positioning step, one body leg is positioned through or around both the attachment mechanism of the base unit and the attachment mechanism of the gear. In an alternative second step, one body leg is positioned through or around the attachment mechanism of the base unit and the other body leg is positioned through or around the attachment mechanism of the gear. In the closing step, the back gate of the Alice clip is slid so that the Alice clip is in the closed position. It should be noted that the Alice clip is not truly locked because the back gate can easily or accidentally be slid open again.
Alice clips are generally disliked for many reasons. In the closed position, they dig into the user's hip or otherwise gouge and poke the user. When they are opened they are designed to spring open, which tends to result in a painful “snap” to the user. They have been known to come loose or break under pressure. Because they have several sharp and/or narrow points, they tend to snag on anything that comes near including branches, leaves, other clothing, other gear, and anything else that touches the clip. When the Alice clips come loose, break, or snag the result is often lost gear and, under extreme situations, lost gear falling into the hands of the enemy. Not only do they tend to make noise because they rattle, they tend to make noise as they open. Being metal, they tend to add weight. The fact that they are metal also means that they add weight and do not float. Other problems with using metal clips is that they can set off magnetic mines and be detected by enemy ground/air surveillance radars. Gear held on by an Alice clip also tends to slide around.
Military personnel have been known to substitute creative securing devices for Alice clips. One substitute is 550 parachute cord or other tieable apparatus. Tieable apparatus must be untied for removal, a process that is too slow to make tieable apparatus for convenient use in critical situations. Another substitute is black plastic electrical “tyton” ties or heavy zip ties. Only the strongest weight rated ties will meet the weight requirements of military personnel. Also, since they are supposed to be cut for removal, extras must be carried if removed gear is to be reattached. In some cases, ties may be unfastened by inserting a small penknife into the locking tab to unfasten the tie. Most of the time this does not work and, if it does, the locking tab is weakened and often will be unable to secure the tie together again and hold the same load.
Malice Clips by Tactical Tailor are reusable, high strength, injection molded, connecting clips. Once attached they require flat tipped object (a screwdriver, car key, knife point, bullet point, ball point pen) to be inserted into the opening slot on the back of the clip to unlock it. The clip will not open until it is disengaged by the user using the flat tipped object. Sometimes, however, gear needs to be removed quickly. This is particularly true in cases of emergency.
Soft belt keeper systems include a strap and a connection apparatus. The strap is generally made from nylon, webbing, leather, or other flexible material. The connection apparatus is generally a two part device such as a snap or a hook-and-loop fabric (e.g. VELCRO®) closure mechanism. The straps generally have a first part of the connection apparatus on one end of the strap and a second part of the connection apparatus on the opposite end of the strap. Gear is held to a base unit by wrapping the strap around the base unit and interconnecting the two parts of the connection apparatus.